Two teens are behind bars after a would-be victim
turned the tables on three armed robbers in Mid-City on Thursday night (Sept. 26),
pulling out his own gun and firing at them, causing them to flee. No one was injured.

Aaron Smith, 18, was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of attempted armed robbery.OPP

Aaron Smith, 18, and Hakeem Carter, 17, were stopped
by police shortly afterward, according to NOPD spokeswoman Hilal Williams. An item
dropped on the ground by one of the teens as they ran linked
them to the crime, she said. Smith and Carter were arrested and booked with two counts of
attempted armed robbery. The third robber remains at large.

According to police, two people were
walking in the 3100 block of Ursulines Avenue on Thursday about 9 p.m. when they were
approached by three men, one of them armed with a handgun. The men ordered the
victims to the ground and told them not to move, but that's when the tables
were turned. The male victim, who was carrying his own firearm in plain view in
a holster around his waist, removed his weapon and fired it in the direction of
the robbers. A short time later, Smith and Carter were stopped by police and
arrested in the 1000 block of Hagan Street, police said.

The third robber, who remains at large, was described as
being tall and thin,

Hakeem Carter, 17, was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted armed robbery.OPP

and has long dreadlocks with bleached tips.

Michael Kennedy, the attorney for the victims, confirmed that
the man was escorting a woman to her car when they were held up. He said the man owns a registered handgun that he carries legally and
openly on occasion.

"We are in no way supporting vigilante justice on our
streets," Kennedy said. "But this is a situation where my clients were in fear
for their lives, and the warning shots fired prevented a more horrific crime
from occurring. But this is definitely not something we are advocating for
others. No one was injured and that's very important."

Kennedy said the man and woman fear retribution because
one of the suspects is still at large.